#52 Scribes And The Widow’s Offering

#52 Scribes and the Widow’s Offering

Series: Mark

Chuck Sligh

August 29, 2021

TEXT: Mark 12:38-44 – "And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

INTRODUCTION

Life is full of contrasts and opposites.

Illus. – I’m going to give you a quick quiz. Don’t worry, it’s easy! I’ll give you a word and you give me the opposite. Ready?

The opposite of Fast is… Slow.

The opposite of Long is… Short.

The opposite of Cold is… Hot.

The opposite of Young is… Old.

The opposite of Soft is… Hard.

The opposite of Sour is… Sweet.

The opposite of High is… Low.

The opposite of Rich is… Poor.

The opposite of Love is… Hate

Today we’re going to look at two stories in Mark, chapter 12. At first glance it may seem that they’re randomly placed, and thus deserving of separate sermons. But there is a reason God put them together. It was to show the stark contrast between one group of religious people who did not please Jesus and a poor, pious widow who pleased Jesus immensely. Let’s dive in and look at this contrast Mark wants us to see.

I. IN VERSES 38-40, JESUS CONDEMNS THE SCRIBES – “And he said unto them in his teaching, ‘Beware of the scribes, who love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40 Who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.’”

In Mark 8:15, Jesus had already warned the people to beware of the Pharisees and the Herodians. Now it’s the scribes’ turn for a warning because they sought praise from men and abused their privileges. As a whole, the scribes had a completely false sense of values. They were filled with pride and arrogance, which was completely out of sync with the Lord’s attitude of humility and meekness. Certainly not all of them did the things Jesus described, but it was common enough that the people would have recognized the criticisms and they were probably nodding their heads in agreement while Jesus was speaking.

Jesus mentions several offences of many of the scribes:

First, they liked to go around in long, flowing clothes. These were long white linen robes with fringes worn by the priests, scribes, and Levites. It was the kind of robe in which one could neither hurry nor work and was the sign of a leisured man of honor. In reality, most scribes were not wealthy like the Sadducees. So they decorated their garments with these fringes to accentuate their important place in society. If you can’t be rich, look important.

Second, they loved to be greeted in the marketplaces with formal titles, like rabbi or master or father. – This bolstered their egos and sense of importance.

They also coveted the most important synagogue seats—those reserved for dignitaries, situated in front of the chest containing the sacred scrolls of Scripture and facing the whole congregation so that everyone would see them.

They also sought the places of honor at banquets and special evening meals at which they were seated next to the host and received preferential treatment.

The worst charge was “devouring widows houses.” This a vivid word picture describing the exploitation of the generosity of people of limited means, especially widows. Widows were told if they supported a scribe, it earned them points in heaven. These scribes preyed upon the poor for their own comfort.

Finally, Jesus said they prayed long prayers. – Presumably this was for the purpose of impressing others, not to show true worship of God.

For these offenses, Jesus gave them a stern warning in verse 40. He said scribes who did these kinds of things would receive a greater judgment. It’s a reminder that those in spiritual leadership will be judged more harshly because of their greater spiritual responsibility. “To whom much is given…much shall be required” Jesus said in Luke 12:48.